The next morning, I met Daryl on the steps. I liked our routine. He'd plan his day and I would plan mine. He was leaving today with Aaron. He finally agreed to help him scout for other survivors. I would miss him, but I wouldn't tell Daryl that.
"How long do you think you'll be out there?" I asked.
"Not too long, maybe a week. Aaron isn't sure who is around and doesn't want to stray to far. I think we'll just scope out some options, if there's any out there." He explained.
"Bring me back a squirrel?" I joked. That became an inside joke for us. Ever since our first hunting trip, I constantly gave him a hard time about craving squirrel meat. He took my banter and threw it back once and awhile.
"I'll bring two." He said before getting up and heading to meet Aaron. He turned around once more before heading out. "Maybe I'll get you a souvenir t-shirt." I laughed at him and got up myself, headed to the kitchen area to meet Carol. I walked inside and saw her making a casserole.
"Do you make up these recipes yourself?" I asked her, as she put the pan in the over.
"Some of them are on the spot. Most of them I have engraved in my brain from when I was a kid. Did your mom ever teach you any recipes?" She asked. I shook my head at her.
"No, she wasn't a great cook. My dad was though. But my grandma, she loved to bake. She taught me how to make amazing desserts. My favorite was probably her homemade peach pie, down to the crust. She got it perfect every time. I could never get it right though." I shook my head.
"Come on, lets make some. It'll be dessert for the older ones tonight. I'm sure they would appreciate it. I saw a bunch of canned peaches in the pantry. They will do." Carol smiled and left to get supplies while I stayed in the kitchen. Carol quickly became a mother figure to me, as she was to her respected group. Daryl liked to talk about her. How he didn't think twice about putting his life on the line for her daughter, Sophia. I don't ever ask Carol about her, I know it must be hard. Loosing a child in a world like this. That's how Daryl became so close to Carol. He tried his hardest out of all of them to save her daughter. Snapped out of my thoughts, Carol came back with everything we would need. "Let's get started." She was excited.
We stayed in the kitchen for hours. Laughing and chatting about nonsense. As we waited for the pie to bake, we delivered the casserole to the older community. They mostly settled together between three homes. I loved talking to all of them, they had great stories and never seemed worried about what was outside the gates. They knew they had good protection among them. We stayed with them for a bit and ate with them. Carol and I then went back to the kitchen to grab the peach pie and divide.
"It looks like like what my grandmother would make." I smiled. I felt myself getting emotional, over a pie.
"It's okay to feel upset sometimes." Carol told me gently, understanding my emotion.
"I know, I just haven't felt this safe and happy in a long time. Your group has really helped us all here and this is just icing on the cake." I smiled.
"You know," Carol began, "I haven't seen Daryl confide in someone in a long time. You two need each other. Even if you don't see it. I see you two together everyday, we all do. Even if you think you are just friends, he cares deeply. He's very selfless and would put his life on the line for any of us, including you." Carol explained. I smiled at her. I guess I hadn't noticed that people saw us with each other daily.
"Thank you, Carol. I know how close you two are. It's comforting to know you understand our friendship." I said.
"Of course I do. Daryl needs someone in his life like you." All of a sudden, our conversation was interrupted by Michonne.
"Daryl and Aaron are back. We don't know why. They're waiting for everyone to gather." She seemed frightened, I hadn't seen that side of Michonne before. We nodded and followed her out. Immediately, I found myself walking over to Daryl.
"What's wrong? Why are you back so early? It's hardly nightfall." I panicked. He placed both hands on my shoulders and gave me a reassuring look but that didn't help the fact that I knew something was wrong.
